Phytosanitary Norms and Exports

Since the early 1990s, some of main export markets have required that wood products exported from Canada be heat-treated to a minimum core temperature of 56ºC for a minimum of 30 minutes in order to destroy all pests that could be associated with wood prior to export.

Under the Plant Protection Act and the Plant Protection Regulations, any product exported from Canada must meet the phytosanitary requirements of the importing country. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has implemented a heat-treatment program (HT Program) to allow companies accredited under this program to produce and export heat-treated wood or wood products in accordance with the requirements of the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15 (ISPM 15).

The Québec Wood Export Bureau (QWEB) in collaboration with the Québec Forest Industry Council (QFIC) is recognized by the CFIA as a third-party auditor and can offer industry members the certification of their facilities and operations under the HT Program. For softwood lumber, this means applying the official CIFQ mark. This mark is recognized by Canadian (CLSAB) and American (ALSC) lumber standard accreditation boards. Participation in this program also allows companies to apply the wood packaging mark and issue heat-treatment certificates.

For further information, please go to the CIFQ website by clicking here (in French only).